When Amazon’s Echo Frames smart glasses first became widely available, we found they were capable if somewhat boring. There simply weren’t many styles, colors and sizes to choose from at launch. Thankfully, Amazon is working to address that issue. The company is introducing two new colors called “Quartz Grey” and “Pacific Blue.” Amazon will offer both with a variety of lens options, including ones that filter out blue light. Additionally, you can now order the existing Modern Tortoise Echo Frames with either sunglasses or blue light lenses.
If you already own a pair of Echo Frames, you can look forward to new software features coming to your smart glasses. The first of those, Top Contact, allows you to add a phone number you can quickly call by long-pressing on the touchpad of your Echo Frames. No need to reach for your phone or activate Alexa. Speaking of the digital assistant, Amazon is adding a settings option that will allow you to change the wake word you use to activate the software from “Alexa” to “Echo.”
Another handy new feature will put the smart glasses into a low power mode if you place them upside down. Amazon has also enhanced the auto volume feature. It will now take into account ambient sounds throughout a listening session, instead of only at the start. Lastly, and this is a big one, “in the coming months” Echo Frames will support sending SMS messages through iOS.
Amazon will release all of the new frame and lens options, in addition to updated features, on November 10th. The Frames start at $250.
At its annual design conference each year, Adobe shows off the new features coming to its range of Creative Cloud apps. The company also has a tradition of previewing experimental tools that may make it to the likes of Photoshop and others. As part of its "sneaks" session today, Adobe will demo Project In-Between: an AI-based tool that creates what the company calls "living photos" from separate still images.
Using Adobe Sensei AI, the tool makes an animation between two or more photos with a single click. Project In-Between will also let you choose the number of transition frames with a higher number creating faster motion. Once it's done, you can access the in-between frames individually as well. There is a big caveat though: your images have to be similar. For example, you could use an image of a person smiling and one of them not in the same general pose. If the images are too different, the results get weird quickly as the transitions become more like transformations. Adobe says the feature can also be applied to video to create slow-motion clips.
Adobe sees Project In-Between as a way to make photos you take on your phone more interesting. The company explains that the results of the tool could be posted as GIFs to social channels and various other places. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Adobe can bake this technology into a mobile app so that you can do all of the editing on your phone, and keep the results there for easy posting.
Adobe has shown off dozens of experimental features over the years at its Max event. In fact, the Sneaks portion of the festivities has become so popular, the company schedules a dedicated session entirely devoted to previews of technology that's in development. Of course, not all "sneaks" make the leap to full-on features in Creative Cloud apps. However, some of them do, with Photoshop's powerful Content Aware Fill perhaps being the most famous example, demoed long before "sneaks" became as popular as they are today.
You can expect to see a demo of Project In-Between and this year's other "sneaks" during an Adobe Max session at 12PM ET today.
The holiday shopping season is a good time to invest in smart home gadgets since many are heavily discounted. And with the season starting earlier than ever this year, we're already seeing good discounts on things like home security cameras. Amazon has a good sale right now on Blink cameras, knocking them down to near record lows. A one-camera Blink Outdoor kit is down to $70, while it's Indoor equivalent is on sale for $60 — both were $10 cheaper on Prime Day back in June, but this is the best price we've seen since then. Also, the Blink Mini is down to $25, which is only $5 more than it was on Prime Day.
The biggest selling point for these cameras is that they're wireless. Both the Outdoor and Indoor models are untethered and run on AA batteries, so you can place them almost anywhere you want with or without the help of mounts. Aside from the Blink Outdoor being weather resistant, the two types of cameras are mostly the same. Both record 1080p video, have infrared night vision and can send motion detection alerts to your phone. They also support two-way audio, so you can speak to the person (or animal, even) on the other end of your video feed if you wish. And as with most Amazon-backed gadgets, these cameras support Alexa voice commands and you can view video feeds from any Echo Show devices you may have around your home.
The Blink Mini is a bit different in that it actually is a wired camera and it's also more compact. While it's less versatile than the standard Blink devices, it's the better choice if you want to give the system a go before investing in a bunch of additional cameras. Plus, you're not missing out on any features: the Blink Mini also records in 1080p, supports motion alerts and two-way audio, and it works with Alexa.
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Most of the Harry-and-Meghan hate you see on Twitter comes from a relatively small number of accounts, according to Bot Sentinel. The Twitter analytics service has published a report examining activity on the website related to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and found that around 70 percent of the hateful and negative comments about the couple originated from 83 accounts. That signifies targeted harassment against the Sussexes, mostly against Meghan Markle.
Bot Sentinel CEO Christopher Bouzy told BuzzFeed News that the anti-Meghan campaign on the website isn't like anything his team has ever seen before. Why? Because there's no motive. It's not like the #StopTheSteal movement that aims to overturn the results of the 2020 US Presidential Elections. "Are these people who hate her? Is it racism? Are they trying to hurt [Harry and Meghan's] credibility? Your guess is as good as ours," he said.
And by "people," he means actual people. The accounts aren't bots, but actual users who know how to manipulate the platform's algorithms. They avoid detection and avoid being banned for violating Twitter's Terms of Service, for instance, by pairing negative comments about Harry and Meghan with positive ones about William and Kate. "This level of complexity comes from people who know how to do this stuff, who are paid to do this stuff," Bouzy said.
Bot Sentinel sampled 114,000 tweets with hashtags and keywords related to the Sussexes, such as #HarryandMeghan and #MeghanMarkle. In the end, it identified a total of 55 accounts to be the ones primarily responsible for negative content against the Sussexes, while the rest (28 accounts) were mostly used to amplify the content they produced. Bouzy called the content they generate "organic hate," which can fly under the radar and evade detection by automated systems.
According to BuzzFeed News, Twitter has already suspended four of the accounts named in the report, while six more set their profiles to private.
The Instant Pot is frequently one of the best-selling kitchen appliances thanks to its multicooking capabilities. It can be a rice cooker, a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, and some models even let you make yogurt. A few years ago, the company released the Instant Pot Smart WiFi, which let you control it remotely from your phone. Now, there’s a brand new connected model called the Instant Pot Pro Plus (priced at $169.99) that promises to do that, and more.
Similar to the Smart WiFi, you can connect the Instant Pot Pro Plus to your phone over WiFi. You can then use the Instant Pot app to start or stop cooking, check the timing and monitor the progress from anywhere in the home. But the Pro Plus can do more than that. The app has over 1,500 “smart” recipes, which have the timing, pressure levels and venting preferences already pre-programmed in, so all you need to do is follow the step-by-step instructions to prepare your meal. Plus, you can release the steam valve remotely and enter in a delayed start time. You can also create your own custom recipe with programmable venting methods (you can choose from natural release, pulse release or quick release).
The Instant Pot Pro Plus has other improvements too. For one thing, it has a much sleeker design, with a large and bright LCD screen. The stainless steel inner pot has an extra-thick aluminum layer that promises more efficient heating, and it has a flat bottom that can go on any stove top. It even has “easy grip” handles that make the inner pot easier to maneuver. The Pro Plus features sous-vide, food warmer, sterilizer and cake maker modes as well.
The Instant Pot Pro Plus is available now from the Instant Pot website, Amazon and Williams-Sonoma for $169.99. The Instant Brands Connect app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
Two US-China stories seemed to occur independently of each other yesterday. First up, Best Buy and Home Depot pulled security cameras made by some Chinese companies linked to Uyghur surveillance. Both US retail giants have stopped selling products from Lorex and Ezviz, while Lowe's no longer carries products by the former.
The US government added parent companies Dahua and Hikvision to its economic blacklist in 2019 for their role in the mass surveillance of Uyghur Muslims in the province of Xinjiang. Human rights groups believe over a million Uyghurs are being detained in internment camps, but China continues to deny the allegations. Home Depot told TechCrunch that it's "committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical sourcing and [it] immediately stopped selling products from Lorex when this was brought to [the company's] attention."
Within the same 24 hours, the FCC then revoked China Telecom's ability to operate in the US. Following proceedings that involved the Justice Department, the FCC found that China Telecom was likely to comply with requests from the Chinese government, and the commission believes there is the chance of the country affecting and disrupting US communications.
“Promoting national security is an integral part of the Commission’s responsibility to advance the public interest,” the FCC said in a statement. This follows the commission’s actions regarding networking infrastructure from Huawei and ZTE, two companies that bore the brunt of accusations of being threats to national security. The one-time Huawei subsidiary, phone maker Honor, is still waiting to see if it’s going to be labeled similarly. Officials at four federal agencies voted last month whether to place the company on the Commerce Department’s entity list. It was a tie.
China Telecom has 60 days to comply with the order.
You'll be able to do basic edits and collaborate with others.
Adobe has announced "a major step forward for collaboration" by bringing its Photoshop and Illustrator apps to the web, though it’s pretty limited to start with. The idea is not to let you do complex work from a web page, but to allow collaborators to open and view your work from a browser to provide comments and feedback. Think of it as Google Docs, but for graphics.
You should be able to review and add comments to files without needing to have a Creative Cloud account.
The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite improves on its predecessor in a number of key ways, most significantly its larger and more responsive display. The Signature Edition also adds a few “nice to have” features like wireless charging and more storage space, but the standard Kindle Paperwhite remains the e-reader for most people — this edition is expensive.
Legendary Pictures has confirmed plans to release Dune: Part Two, saying it was "excited to continue the journey." The studio expects the movie to premiere October 20th, 2023. The first movie only covered half of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic.
The creators of Pokémon Go have begun to roll out Pikmin Bloom worldwide, starting with Singapore and Australia. Similar to Pokémon Go, you'll have to go out and interact with the real world to enjoy the game. However, it’s likely to be a little more chill. Niantic CEO John Hanke said in the game's video announcement that the flowers the Pikmin make can be viewed by other players, so you can create shared gardens with your neighbors. Oh and there are no battles.
Pikmin is another iconic gaming franchise from Nintendo, but the appeal is likely to be a little limited in comparison to Pokémon.
In further proof that NFTs are going nowhere, Adobe is updating Photoshop with a beta Content Credentials feature that helps to establish the authenticity of NFTs. Once artists link their crypto wallets and social media accounts to Content Credentials, buyers can check that the wallet used to produce artwork is the same wallet that minted it.
Beyond NFTs, an opt-in Photoshop feature attaches edits and identity info to images, adding transparency and should allay some concerns about deception.
Google has activated a safety feature that lets minors under 18 request that images of themselves be removed from search results, The Verge has reported. Google first announced the option back in August as part of a slate of new safety measures for kids, but it's now rolling out widely to users.
Google said it will remove any images of minors "with the exception of case of compelling public interest or newsworthiness." The requests can be made by minors, their parents, guardians or other legal representatives.
To do so, you'll need to supply the URLs you want removed, the name and age of the minor and the name of the person acting on their behalf. Google notes that "web URLs (pages with both text and images) are not eligible for removal under this policy, which seeks to limit the presence of images in Google search results."
To that end, it also can't remove images from websites hosting them, so "you might wish to contact the site’s webmaster and ask them to remove the content," Google said. To aid in that, it linked a guide on how to contact a site's webmaster.
Until Google starts to actively remove images, we won't see what criteria it applies for "public interest or newsworthiness." In general, though, it seems like most images will likely get pulled if a minor or their guardian asks. However, it doesn't appear that you'll be able to demand the removal of images of yourself below 18 unless you're currently under that age, as The Verge has noted.
On top of announcing a Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and a Doom Eternal update yesterday, Stadia appears to have added support for free game trials starting with its own exclusive title, 9to5Google has reported. Spotted by YouTuber Gem, the feature allows users on the free tier to get access to a 30-minute trial for Hello Engineer, before deciding whether to spend $20 buying it.
Hello Engineer is a new free game for Pro tier subscribers, but it costs $20 if you're on the free tier. Below buy/claim with Pro options, however, is a a new "Free trial" button that allows for 30 minutes of free play. Once launched, it starts a countdown timer from when you start the trial, rather than active playtime. At the end, Google asks if you'd like to purchase the game while saving your current progress, according to 9to5Google.
Google has yet to officially mention the new option and there's no word on whether it may expand to other games. You could, of course, trial any game available for free on the Pro tier with Google's 30-minute free trial of Stadia Pro. It would be nice, though, for all users to be able to try any game before deciding to buy it.
Netflix has previously given us glimpses of its live-action adaptation of the classic anime Cowboy Bebop. Its latest trailer, however, shows actual footage from the series for the first time. You'll see scenes of the crew in action, from the time they met and decided to team up to the time they start hunting criminals in exchange for bounty. It shows fight scenes with Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda), their spaceship (the Bebop) and their corgi Ein. No Ed yet, unfortunately.
The streaming giant first announced its live-action adaptation way back in 2018, but it wasn't until earlier this year that production wrapped for season one. While the cast and crew have been shooting since 2019, production was paused after Cho got injured on set, and the coronavirus pandemic delayed things even further. Since then, Netflix has been preparing for its debut. In addition to releasing teasers for the show, the company has added all 26 episodes of the anime to its catalogue, so you can marathon all things Cowboy Bebop without having to hop services. (The anime is also available on Hulu.)
Netflix's live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop will start streaming on November 19th.
Pokémon Go's creator has a new augmented reality mobile game, and this time, it's all about Pikmin. Niantic is now rolling out Pikmin Bloom worldwide, starting with Singapore and Australia where it's already live. Similar to Pokémon Go, you'll have to go out and interact with the real world enjoy the game. It's really more of a fun and colorful companion for daily walks or hikes, though, since it doesn't have battles and doesn't have the incentive of catching rare monsters like Pokémon Go does.
In Pikmin Bloom, you'll find seedlings when you walk that you can pick up and grow into plant-like creatures that'll follow you around. The more you walk, the more Pikmin you can pluck and the more Pikmin will follow you around. Onscreen, you're depicted as a Mii avatar, with a bunch of creatures walking behind you and making more flowers bloom along your path. You'll also be able to collect items on your walks, including clothes Pikmin can wear and fruit you can feed your creatures to make flowers bloom on their heads.
Niantic CEO John Hanke said in the game's video announcement that the flowers the Pikmin make can be viewed by other players, so you can create shared gardens with your neighbors. Pikmin Bloom is now live for Android and iOS in Singapore and Australia, and it will be arriving in more countries and regions "shortly."
